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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Out of the Dust, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Nature, Survival, and the Dust Bowl
Poverty, Charity, and Community
Coming of Age
Family and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Billie Jo lies in bed on a Sunday night with a wet cloth on her face to prevent her from breathing in dust. She lies awake, thinking of her mother and feeling restless. Suddenly, her mood shifts as she hears raindrops on the roof. Quickly, the storm picks up, and soon it is raining hard, pouring water into the dry earth. Billie Jo runs outside in the morning and lets the storm soak her. She walks into town, thrilled with the rain. She doesn’t even want to enter the schoolhouse when she gets there; she would rather enjoy the weather.
Billie Jo goes from struggling to breathe to ecstatically happy in a matter of minutes as she hears the patter of the rain. Not only will the rain allow her a temporary escape from the dust, but it also means there is some hope for the farm. Billie Jo’s love of standing out in the rain recalls the moment from earlier in the novel when she witnessed her mother standing outside naked during a storm.
Themes
Joe De La Flor spends the morning brushing mud off of his horse while Billie Jo’s father helps a man named Mr. Kincannon pull his truck out of the mud. When the storm passes later in the day, all of the farmers are content. For a moment, they do not have to think about the dust, and there is hope for their crops.
Despite some minor problems, everyone is happy because the storm is the first glimmer of hope they have had in a long time. However, they will need more than one shower to ensure the growth of their crops.
Themes
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